Slide lock for fish stringers



Sept. 29, 1942. H. B. HlcKMAN V SLIDE LOCK FOR FISH STRINGERS Filed Dec. 22, 1939 v Inma/wharf www 15: /wc/f/VAN Patented Sept. 29, 1942 SLDE LOCK FOR FISH STRINGERS Harry B. Hickman, Shreveport, La.

Application December 22, 1939, Serial No. 310,644

1 Claim.

This invention relates to fish stringers, especially adapted for holding freshly caught iish in a manner whereby they may be held captive in the water from which they were removed in order to prolong the lives of the iish and at the same time avoid the danger of the fish becoming detached from the stringers.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and ecient keeper for locking the hook against accidental release after it has once been fastened.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the sh Stringer;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a detail portion of the Stringer;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of one of the sleeves and hook-members, a portion of one sleeve being shown in section;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of one of the hook-members shown in an open position and showing a portion of one of the sleeves, a portion of the socket of the hook-member being shown in section;

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective View of a modified form of the hook-member.

By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that I3 designates a cable, preferably a metal or wire cable carrying a spring snap fastener II at its inner end for anchoring the inner end to a suitable support. A plurality of sleeves I2 are slidably mounted upon the cable I8, as shown in Figure l, the lowermost sleeve being soldered, as at I3, to the inturned end I4 of the cable I0 to prevent the other sleeves I2 which are arranged in stacked relation upon the cable I0 from being detached from the cable I0. Each sleeve I2 is provided with an outwardly inclined apertured tongue I5 adapted to overlie the next below sleeve when the sleeves are in stacked relation as shown in Figure 1.

A hook member I5 is secured to each tongue I5 by having its eye portion I'I threaded through the apertured tongue I5, as shown in Figure 4. A shield or cuff I8 is carried by the inner end of the hook member I6 and is provided with spaced rolled inturned retaining flanges I9 deflning a slot 28 therebetween. The cuff I8 tapers toward the eye portion Il, as shown. One of the flanges I9 fits around the inner end of the shank 2I and the other flange I9 provides a socket or shield for the pointed end 22 of the hook 23. A tapering band-like keeper 24 is slid-- ably mounted upon the shield I8 and is adaptedJ to overlie the lower end of the shield I8 and point 22 in wedging engagement with the shield I8, as shown in Figure 4, to hold the point 22 against accidental displacement. The wedging engagement of the keeper 24 upon the shield I8 will hold the keeper 24 over the point 22 and prevent the keeper 24 from accidentally sliding upon the shield I8 to a releasing position relative to the point 22. This keeper 24 may, however, be moved to the position shown in Figure 5 to allow the point 22 to be released by moving the point 22 from behind its retaining flange I9 and through the slot 28. Because of the structure of the shield, in that the shield is provided with an open side, the shield I8 is obviously compressible as the band-like keeper is wedged over the shield in the position shown in Figure 4, thereby providing an eicient gripping action between these parts.

As shown in Figure 7, I have illustrated a modiiied type of hook member wherein a hook member 25 is carried by the tongue I5a of the sleeve I2a. This hook member 25 is provided with a substantially inverted U-shaped eye portion 26 at its inner end from one strand of which extends the shank portion 21 having a spring loop 28 and terminating in an upwardly extending pointed hook 29. The other strand of the eye 26 is provided with an outwardly bulged portion 39 the extremity of which is looped about the shank portion 21, as indicated at 3I. A retaining collar 32 is slidably mounted upon the eye portion 26, as shown in Figure 7, and is adapted to fit behind the pointed end of the hook 29 to hold the same in a set position when the hook is fastened behind the outwardly bulged portion 39. The sleeve 32 may be moved tothe position shown in dotted lines in Figure '7 to permit the pointed end of the hook 29 to be moved from under the outwardly bulged portion 3i) to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 7, thereby releasing the hook 29. When the sleeve 32 is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 7, the hook 29 will be locked against accidental displacement.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a very simple and efficient means has been provided for locking the pointed end of a hook against accidental displacement and in this way preventing sh which may be attached to the hook from becoming accidentally disengaged or set free. Through the medium of the present device, the fisherman may place the sh which he has caught upon the hooks and by sliding the keepers over the pointed ends of the hooks, the hook-members will be locked in a manner whereby Jche iish Will be held against accidental disengagement from the hook-members, and the sh may be immersed within the water from which they may be removed and freely swing because of the pivotal connection of the hook-members t0 the sleeves which support the same.

Certain detail changes in the mechanical construction may be employed Without departing from the spirit of the invention, so long as such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed isz- As an article of manufacture, a hook especially designed for use in connection with fish stringers comprising an eye, a shield tapering toward the eye, the shield being open at one side to provide a compressible shield, a shank extending from the eye and through the shield, a hook point carried by the shank, a iiange carried by the shield and partly closing the open side of the shield and adapted to releasably engage said point, a tapering keeper slidably mounted over said shield, the keeper tapering toward the eye and being adapted to Wedgingly engage the shield and slightly compress the shield as the keeper is moved away from the eye to provide a tight gripping action between the shield and keeper, the point being adapted to t under the flange, and the keeper being slidable to a position to overlie the ange and point, the Wedging contact of the keeper and shield holding the keeper in position and preventing the accidental movement of the point from out of engagement with said flange.

HARRY B. HICKMAN. 

